.... ON THE SWEARING OF PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA

The NDC-USA officially responds to NPP-USA’s press statement published on Ghanaweb among other media platforms on January 4th, 2013, titled “the Supreme Court Has Moral Responsibility to Save Ghana.”

Like the New Patriotic Party of Ghana, the USA version of this political party (NPP-USA) continues to be in a state of confusion, denial and shock over the outcome of the 2012 general elections. The nefarious schemes of the New Patriotic Party began when Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, the secretary of the party proclaimed Nana Akuffo Addo winner of the elections and asked supporters to embark on jubilant celebrations, even as the results were still being compiled by more neutral bodies such as media houses and the Electoral Commission of Ghana. Following the official declaration of the elections results, some supporters of the New Patriotic Party as a result of the stance taken by their party’s leadership destroyed property of private citizens simply because those individuals were suspected of being supporters of the NDC. As many well-meaning Ghanaians feared the “all die be die slogan of Nana Akuffo Addo, aptly became a slogan for violent mobs who took matters into their own hands as they embarked on demonstrations and sometimes attacked innocent citizens.

The conduct of the 2012 General Elections cannot be the culprit for their behavior, since without controversy, it stands as the most transparent, most improved and most well-organized of any of the elections Ghana had hitherto witnessed since its founding as a nation. The 2012 general elections benefitted from improvements stemming from recommendations and lessons learned from previously held elections. Among some of these changes include the use of a computer based voter verification system which eliminated the possibility of double voting; additionally, the international observer teams, as well as many Ghanaians have commended the level of security provided at polling stations on the day of the polls. All political parties were equally represented at polling stations where the votes were counted and similarly at regional and national collating centers all political parties were fully represented. As a result the position of NPP-USA and its mother party, the NPP of Ghana that the 2012 elections were fraudulent has simply been a difficult case to make and explain to the world.

The New Patriotic Party has had a difficult time dealing with its electoral loss because its leadership has failed to reckon with the reality of the defeat. They continue to be in denial and their petition at the Supreme Court can be likened to a bankrupt man who plans to pay his bills and other pressing debts with a lottery ticket he has just acquired. For example there is the claim that, the NPP has uncovered suspicious voting patterns in places which are strongholds of NDC, NPP-USA cites this as evidence that the elections was rigged in NDC’s favor, yet there is no verifiable way of ascertaining who benefitted from these votes since the NPP also got some votes in these areas.

The NDC USA believes that the NDC fairly won the 2012 general elections as has been reported by the many international news organizations such as the BBC, CNN and Reuters among others. As is usually the case the winning party also gains majority of the parliamentary seats. The NDC won a majority of the presidential seats in the 2012 elections, a bellwether sign that the NDC was the strongest party in the elections. In addition the NDC won eight out of the ten regions in Ghana thus exhibiting the same trend which saw it winning the elections in 2008. The international community was represented by experienced and professional electoral observer teams in Ghana which assessed all aspects of the elections and declared afterwards that the elections were free and fair.

Osborne K Sam

Secretary, NDC USA